Hundsheimer Berge - juniper heath (Roso-Juniperetum) (4807'N 1655' E)

Descrição:

2011-12-03 Austria, Lower Austria, district Bruck/Leitha - Braunsberg (240 msm Quadrant 7867/4).Heath of Lower Austrian Hundsheimer Berge, some very special habitat which is home to many rare plants.Of those, in winter, only some very common ones are visible - here beautifully clad in hoarfrost; to name just the most common ones:- some Apiaceae species (front left);- many Rosa species (of the 'Rosa canina' group in the broadest sense; most likely several different species here in this photo);- Juniperus communis (the green ones) in the background;- and several others in the background which are difficult to differentiate here in this shot: Crataegus monogyna, Berberis vulgaris, Ligustrum vulgare, Cornus mas, and some more.This plant association is man-made - grazing animals favour those plants which are non-digestible for them (because of their thorns, or bitter taste, or whatever), like juniper but also wild roses, hawthorn and many more; also, they take more energy from the heath (by eating grass) than they leave their (with their dung), which results in soil becoming poorer year by year, which again promotes poor soil specialists (among which are many of those rare plants of which however, as said above, not much is to be seen at this time of year).